Easy Cumquat Marmalade

Beautiful cumquats make beautiful jam, and so it is to the stove top that we turn this morning. Some cherry tomatoes are drying in the oven, taking the chill off of the kitchen, and we chop, soak and simmer cumquats before turning them into the most delicious marmalade. Breakfasts are going to be amazing this month!

This jam is also an exceptional accompaniment to hot Indian curries. The sweetness tempers the heat of the dish, and the cumquat tartness is beautiful with the spices.

Easy Cumquat Marmalade

Cut your cumquats in quarters and leave to soak overnight just covered with water.

The next day, measure the cumquats as you put them into a heavy based saucepan. Add the soaking liquid too, and cook until the cumquats are tender but still in tact.

Add the same amount of sugar as you had cumquats. Now boil rapidly until the jam jellies when tested on a cold plate.

Spoon the jam into warm, sterile jars. Allow to cool. Store the jam in the fridge for longer life.

recipe notes and alternatives
Puree the fruit before adding the sugar for a smooth jam.

I like to add spices to my jams. In this one, I added one dried chilli, some black peppercorns and half a dozen star anise as well as a tspn of sea salt. The flavour is subtle – you can’t tell that chilli was used for example. But it adds an additional level of interest to this jam.

a quiet kitchen

Obsession is one of the character traits of perfectionism. I define it as a focus on an activity or item to the exclusion of all other contextual factors. Perfectionists at work, for example, might pursue

The colour of Winter is green, I have decided, sitting here at the desk, looking out to the park across the road. Spring is pink, Summer blue, and Autumn is golden, but Winter is green. The flurry of colour